How Cato and Clove met (one shot)
by The Other Katniss Everdeen
Summary: No need to meet each other. Until an accident almost happens, Cato and Clove never have even heard of one another. Once the accident happens, Cato attempts to meet the most stubborn, most advanced, most interesting girl he could ever meet, Clove. The story of Cato and Clove in district two.


**Author's note: Hey all my readers. Well I made a quick decision. I decided to go more in-depth about Clove and Cato meeting for the first time. I touched the idea in my last fanfiction, Love Triangle, but decided that writing more in-depth in a one shot could a bit of depth to my page. Without further ado, here is my version of how Clove met Cato. BTW, Clove is seven and Cato is ten.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins does.**

_How Clove and Cato met_

Clove POV

It was lunch finally. I sat down and goofed off twisting my dark hair around my finger. I couldn't wait until I started career training. In school days with career training, you leave at lunch and start career training, that is until you are 12. Once you turn 12, you only do school three days a week for half the day each time. The other two days are spent all day at the training center. I was having my regular uneventful lunch until Amber and Aisha walked up to me. Amber flipped her curled braid over her shoulder and started talking.

"Well Clove," Amber's annoying voice said. "We decided that you are allowed to hang out with us."

I stood up and threw two knifes. One at Amber's braid, the other at Aisha's bun. They chopped at least two inches off Amber braid and has cut a thin chunk out of the middle of Aisha's bun. They looked at me in fear. I could tell they ready to run.

"Oh dear Amber and Aisha. Do you think I have forgotten the 'Clove and Journo' rumor? Journo and I were just friends. Since that rumor, Journo hasn't said a word to me! He's scared to talk to me because he doesn't want that rumor to start-up again! I wish you both were never born!" I practically screamed.

Amber and Aisha ran off screaming. An ex-friend of Amber and Aisha came and high-fived me. After school, instead of going home, I went for a walk by the training center. I was ready to look in the window by the knife area when I knife came flying out of the window and narrowly missed my foot. I screamed as a couple of boys looked out the window.

Cato POV

"Stone, why do we think this is a good idea?" I asked my friend as we stood up and grabbed some knifes.

"Come on dude! The regular knife throwers don't want a couple of newbies messing with their training," Stone smirked.

It wasn't true we were newbies. Seven-year olds were newbies. We are ten-year olds. The first three years are mere simple training. Then you start looking for a weapon of your choice. At the age of twelve, you should have your weapon picked so you can start training to be a true career. You are considered a true career at the age of twelve. Until than you are a junior career. I shook my head and turned back to Stone.

"If we kill someone though, you take the blame. Understood?" I asked.

Stone smirked as he tossed the first knife. It landed perfectly in the ground. We started just throwing knife after knife. We were having so much fun. One more knife and we were going to go grab all the knifes and start over. Stone handed me the last knife. I threw it. I smirked but a girl screamed so we rushed to the window and looked out. A raven haired girl with very dark green eyes was staring at us. She hadn't looked at us for more than long enough to see our faces then run. We noticed the knife was a few millimeters from her left foot before she ran.

I looked at Stone. "Your fault because it was your idea."

Clove POV

Scarred for life. Who do those boys think they are? I went to the edge of the district and sat in the shade of a tree. I cried trying to make sure no one was watching me. I heard the bell saying anyone under 12 could leave training. I tried to make myself invisible, but I obviously failed. Two career boys approached me. I looked and quickly saw my nightmare coming true. The two boys from the knife throwing were walking towards me. I pushed myself to my feet and ran off in the direction of my house. I threw myself in my bed and I pulled my covers up to my eyes. My mom eventually walked in and placed my plate on my night stand. She kissed my forehead and walked out. I sat up and looked what my mom made for supper. It was only me and her now. I had a twin brother but he died shortly after being born. I Also have an older, Cephas, but he abandoned us after he won the Hunger Games to live in the Capitol. He doesn't even mentor! I miss him. My dad died not long after my twin brother and I were born. My older brother went into the games when I was 3 and he never came back to stay in district two. I fall asleep having a dream about Cephas.

_"How's little Clove?" he would always ask before the games._

_I would always remember the look on my brother's face. He acted like I could talk to him like a ten-year old._

_"Clove, would you be mad if I went into the Hunger Games?" he asked._

_I was kicking trying to say that he shouldn't go into the games._

_"No! NO! NO!" I shouted in Cephas._

_"C'mon Clove! If I go, you never will have to," he argued._

_"I HATE YOU!" I shouted at Cephas's face._

_I ran to my room and locked the door._

_The next morning, my mom came and knocked on my door. I finally unlocked my door. My mom stepped in and looked at me. _

_"We need to go. It's time for the reaping. Cephas is going to volunteer and the family needs to be there so we can say good-bye," my mom said as she pinched my nose._

_Suddenly Cephas walked into the room and tossed a pink dress with ribbons and flowers on it at me. I tossed the dress back but Cephas walked up to me and looked me dead in the eye._

_"For me, please?" Cephas asked._

_I ripped the dress out of his hands. I pulled it on and stepped into my white lace flats._

_The whole reaping was a blur up until we went to talk to Cephas. My mom was trying to pull me in but I was refusing until my mom literally picked me up and dragged me in. Cephas looked a lot like our mom especially now. Same brown hair and brown eyes._

_Cephas looked at me. "You look just like dad." _

_When I look at pictures of my dad, I see a male me. Raven hair, dark green eyes, pale skin, everything. Even the light freckles. _

_"If Jett lived after being born, I would have two little devils running around the house," our mom_ joked.

I shot awake. I realized I haven't seen Cephas since he came home to pick up his stuff. I also realized I never knew my twin. I knew he and I were supposed to look identical, but he never lived to see one year old. I knew his name was going to be Jett. I rolled over and tried to fall asleep. I wasn't asleep for more then a few minutes when my mom started shaking me awake. She actually pulled me off my bed trying to wake me up.

"Princess, I signed you up for career training. And you're just about late. Up, up, up," my mom giggled as she pulled me straight to the floor.

"I'm awake! I'm just not up," I said as I pushed myself to my feet.

She dropped something on my back. It was a training uniform. On the right sleeve, it has your name sewn on. My said 'Clove' and I rolled my eyes. I thought the names on the sleeve were ridiculous. I put in on and on my way out, I grabbed a red apple.

"Don't you want something more?" my mom asked.

"No," I barked as I rushed out the door.

I didn't want to be late on my first day. I was actually early!

"Clove?" asked a voice.

I looked at voice, saw the manager of the center. I nodded and she pointed into her office. I walked in and she motioned for me to sit down. I did.

"So I hear you can throw knifes," she smirked.

"I'm okay," I said an slightly turning my head to the side.

"I've heard stories about you. You could be a champion. Today I'm trying something different for you. Normally I would want you to do simple training, but today I'm going to let you just practice knife throwing. Let the instructor evaluate you and determine whether or not you need to start with the simple courses or can start with the advanced courses," she smiled.

I sat up straight and smiled. I nodded and she pointed to the door. I went straight to knife throwing where the instructor smiled at me. He walked over to me and leaned down to look in my eyes. "You Clove?" He asked.

I turned and tapped my shoulder where my name was. He smiled and guided me off to a little practice area separate from the rest. The other three students, two girls and a guy, looked at me and walked away. I knew that they were about to be asked to leave in a minute so they all left to different stations. One of the girls and the guy went spear throwing and the other girl headed to archery. I practiced knife throwing for probably an hour. All my targets were a perfect hit so my teacher went to let the manager now who well I was doing. I looked around until my eyes hit two boys standing in line for sword fighting. I recognized them as the two who just about sent a knife into my foot. I decide it was time for revenge. I threw knifes at their feet.

Cato POV

Stone jumped and I didn't understand why until I had a knife mere millimeters from my foot. Stone and I looked at each other then at the knife throwing station. We saw a newbie. That was rare. We recognized her instantly. The raven hair, the dark emerald eyes filled with revenge. It was the girl we just about threw a knife into her foot. She looked at us with a smirk. Then we saw the targets. They were all a perfect hit. She purposely missed. Probably so we knew how she felt when a knife just barely missing your foot. Stone and I picked the knifes out of the floor and started walking towards her. She glared at us so of course Stone stopped walking. He just about started walking backwards. I grabbed the knife out of his hand and kept walking. I guess you could say I fell into a trance. I couldn't stop walking. I approached the girl. She had went back to knife throwing. I coughed and she looked at me.

"Hi, I'm um uh Cato," I stammered.

"Are you sure?" she barked.

"Yes, um what's your name?" I asked.

"Clove," she stated firmly.

I could tell I wanted to be her friend

**_Years_ _later_ **

"Cato!" a voice barked.

I didn't even have time to react before I found myself being attacked but Clove.

She's 11, I'm 14. The age difference didn't matter to us. We were best friends. It took four years of trying to be friends, but It finally happened. After four years of an on-off friendship, we're best friends.

She was there for me when Stone decided wee couldn't be friends because he started hanging with an older boy, Rocky.

I was there for Clove when her brother, Cephas, came back just to gloat to his sister.

Clove was my best friend. Nothing would change on my watch.

**Well there is how Cato and Clove met in my mind. Please review and favorite. I hope you like it. I put so much work into it.**


End file.
